Manchester United are in the hunt for a centre-back this summer (Picture: Getty)
Manchester United have been urged to abandon their bid to sign Bayern Munich centre-back Matthijs de Ligt by club legend Andy Cole.
United have made the signing of a new centre-back one of their priorities for the summer transfer window following the departure of Raphael Varane.
Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite is one of the leading candidates on United’s shortlist but saw their opening offer of £45m rejected.
Reports in Germany also suggest that United are interested in De Ligt who worked under Erik ten Hag whilst at Ajax.
The 24-year-old, who also had a spell at Juventus, has reportedly been made available for transfer after two seasons with the German giants, but Cole has urged caution over bringing him to Old Trafford.
‘I like him but the thing I don’t understand about him is why is he always moving?’ the former United striker told Betfred.
‘That’s what I don’t get. He did three years at Juventus and about two years at Bayern, so what I’m now thinking is if he is such a good player, why would the club want to sell him?
Matthijs de Ligt is wanted by United this summer (Picture: Getty)
‘I think he’s a good player, but you’ve got to start questioning why everyone keeps selling him.
‘He’s only 24 years old, so I’d like to think that his best years are still in front of him, so it’s an interesting one. I wouldn’t say that Bayern Munich needs the money, but let’s see if it happens.’
Elsewhere, United are looking to bring in a striker to support Rasmus Hojlund, with Joshua Zirkzee emerging as an early favourite.
However, Cole’s former strike partner, Dwight Yorke, has expressed similar reservations about the Dutch forward.
‘Names like Joshua Zirkzee being linked to Man United is baffling,’ the former United striker told Best Payout Online Slots.
‘They need a player who can definitely score goals and knows how to play in the Premier League. Why would you need 23-year-old Zirkzee, when you have 21-year-old Rasmus Hojlund already at the club?’
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